Mr. Monk Never Forgets

     Monk is a quirky, lovable show about obsessive-compulsive detective, Adrian Monk.  The show ended after eight seasons but lives on through a series of very fun novels.  Mr. Monk was a successful homicide detective until his wife's murder caused him to suffer a psychological breakdown.  Now he assists the San Fransisco Police Department on the most difficult cases as a private consultant.  He uses his need for order and his obsession with perfection to see the details that the average investigator would miss.  Monk catches the bad guys that no one else would ever catch.  

But he couldn't do it without Natalie.  Natalie is Mr. Monk's plucky assistant.  Her job is to keep him calm and focused, hand him disinfectant wipes and run interference with the people he ultimately frustrates.  They get into and out of a lot of scrapes together and have saved each other's lives more than once.

         

         One of the things that makes Monk so unique and so good at solving crimes is his memory.  It's perfect.  Once during a session with his therapist, he recounts a traumatic memory and his therapist realizes that Mr. Monk is actually remembering his own birth!

          Even though there are probably no real people who have a perfect memory like this, God does.  Psalm 147:5 says, "Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite."  God knows everything.  Acts 15:18 says, "Known to God from eternity are all His works."  He knew every moment of human history before time ever began.  He knows everything that has ever happened or will ever happen to everyone. 

         God knows us, He really KNOWS us.  He knows everything we've ever done, including all the bad things.  He says in the Bible that we deserve His punishment. (Romans 6:23) 

         Now listen to something amazing - "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."  -Romans 5:8 

          He sent Jesus to take the punishment that we deserve.  When we accept that we deserve God's punishment, when we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are forgiven.  All of our mistakes and bad deeds and bad thoughts are washed away.  Forever.  And He continues to forgive us when we slip up because now we have Jesus as our Advocate.  (1 John 2:1) 

        God, the only One with the flawless memory, chooses to forget.  For our sake.  Just because He loves us. 

        Here is what God's forgiveness is like:  Hebrews 8:12  "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”